Kurt August Diedring, beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away peacefully on Feb. 14, 2009, at Pine Ridge Extended Care Center, surrounded by his children and grandchildren.

Kurt was born in Germany on April 29, 1926. He married Louise Schulz on Nov. 20, 1953 in Germany and they immigrated to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 1955. Kurt worked at Plastics Engineering Company in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, until his retirement in 1989. Kurt and Louise moved to Pagosa Springs in May 1991.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Louise, who resides at Pine Ridge; his daughter and son-in-law, Angie and Mark Dahm of Pagosa Springs; his son, Michael, who resides in Vilnius, Lithuania; and his grandchildren, Heather Dahm of Durango, and Ben Diedring, who resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The family is grateful to all the wonderful staff at Pine Ridge and to the kind folks at Mercy Hospice who provided such loving care.

Cremation has already taken place. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations in his memory be sent to the Archuleta County Ruritan Club, 1029 Hatcher Circle, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147 to help offset the cost of transportation for kidney dialysis patients.